DES MOINES, Iowa – Charity Hodson says she still remembers being bullied in high school for her intellectual disability. The pain it caused her to hear the R-word thrown her way, to be left as the last choice for teams during gym class, and to be looked at as a burden, rather than a person, is what she says inspires her to advocate for others like her today.

“They made fun, called me a whole bunch of different names,” she said. “And I know how that made me feel, so I know how everyone else feels when they’re called names like that.”

Hodson is now a very active member of Special Olympics Iowa; she competes in three events (track & field, bowling, and softball) and serves as a global messenger for the group. And Tuesday, she joined her fellow athletes and advocates at the Iowa State Capitol to ask lawmakers – and anyone who walked by – to support an effort to end use of the R-word in society.

“Special Olympics Iowa is a foundational process based on athletic endeavors, but it goes well beyond that,” said Gary Harms, CEO and President of the organization. “Our athletes are public speakers, they’re employed in our societies, and really, it’s all about inclusion. It’s all about just being people.”

And just being people requires society to end usage of an archaic term that only segregates the disabled community and makes them feel subordinate to humanity, he says. The group’s effort is part of a national campaign by the Special Olympics. “Spread the Word to End the Word” now has an online petition with over half a million signatures, and organizers in Iowa hope to boost that number even more Tuesday.

In addition to a poster for lawmakers and the public to sign, the group will also read aloud a proclamation – signed by Governor Terry Branstad – in support of the initiative to end the R-word in the afternoon. For Hodson, the effects the R-word had on her at a younger age caused her to feel like she couldn’t accomplish her goals. Through the Special Olympics, she says she’s been given the confidence to do things she never thought possible, like living independently.

“They’re going to cheer you on, and tell you, ‘You can do it,'” she said. “And that really makes you feel good, to be told you can do it from people you do know, and people you don’t know, too.”

WEBSTER CITY, Iowa — Opening statements began Tuesday morning in Webster City in the murder trial of Casey Frederiksen.

Frederiksen is charged with first degree murder in the 2005 death of five-year-old Evelyn Miller. He is also charged with sexually abusing the girl.

Murder charges weren’t filed against Frederiksen until seven years after her murder. He was in prison when he was charged, serving time on drug and child pornography charges.

During opening statements the prosecution said Evelyn was stabbed multiple times in the chest and her throat had been slit. There were also obvious signs of sexual abuse.

Prosecutors claim Frederiksen admitted to being sexually attracted to the little girl.

The defense did not make an opening statement Tuesday morning, but reserved its right to do so at a later time. The state plans to call eight witnesses Tuesday. The first will be Evelyn Miller’s father, Andy Christie.

Miller’s body was found five days after she was reported missing from the Floyd apartment her mother shared with Frederiksen. She was found along the banks of the Cedar River.

First came the shocking discovery of a medieval English king’s burial site in a parking lot.

Then came the unearthing of a mysterious coffin, near where the king was buried. Archaeologists theorized it contained the remains of a prominent man, possibly a knight or a Catholic Church official.

After the coffin was opened, another shocker: The person inside was a woman, researchers said this week.

Who was she? A wealthy aristocrat, church benefactor, beloved servant?

Whoever she was, the woman found in a double coffin — a lead coffin encased in a larger stone coffin — near the final resting place of King Richard III was probably a very noteworthy person.

At least that’s the theory of Mathew Morris, an archaeologist at the University of Leicester.

“A grave like this — very elaborate stone sarcophagus, lead inner casket buried in a very prominent position in the church, close to the high altar — you’ve got to think this person was important,” said Morris, who led the excavation.

Final resting place

The parking lot where the coffins were found, in Leicester, England, is where a church, known as Grey Friars Friary, once stood.

Over the centuries, the whereabouts of the friary’s remnants were forgotten, but it remained in the records as the burial place of Richard III.

In 2012, experts began digging away at the area and established that it was part of the friary and that a skeleton, hastily buried in an uneven grave, was that of Richard, who was killed in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field.

In 2013, Morris and his fellow archaeologists discovered the mysterious coffin within a coffin. On Sunday they announced their findings: the skeleton inside was from an elderly woman, who may have been a church benefactor and who probably died sometime in the 14th century.

Not what they expected

The fact that she was a woman may be the most surprising discovery. Scholars were certain that the coffin’s inhabitant had to be one of three men: a medieval knight named Sir William de Moton of Peckleton, or two leaders of the English Grey Friars order, Peter Swynsfeld or William of Nottingham.

But they are most certain that this woman was important. The known details surrounding her burial — inner lead coffin inlaid with a crucifix, placement of the coffin in a prominent location — all point to someone who was esteemed and held in high regard.

Scientists can see this even in the foods she ate. An analysis of the woman’s remains revealed she had a diverse, protein-rich diet with large amounts of sea fish. Such a diet suggests that she was a wealthy person and would have been able to consume expensive foods like game, meat and fish, according to a press release from the University of Leicester.

‘Forever remain anonymous’

Unfortunately that’s about all Morris and his team have been able to find out about her. Documents and records in Leicester from around the time of her burial suggest she could be someone named Emma, who was married to John of Holt. But there’s not enough information available to make even a cursory connection.

“We know little about (Emma) and a lack of fundamental information, such as her age at death, what she did for a living, what she looked like or where in the church she was buried, coupled with no known descendants who can provide a DNA sample, make it impossible to say for certain (if the skeleton) is that of Emma,” Morris said.

He lamented that the skeleton will probably “forever remain anonymous.”

Fit for a king

The skeleton wasn’t the only female found at the site. According to the university, it was one of 10 graves discovered in the grounds of the former church, including that of Richard III, six of which were left undisturbed. The others that were examined were all found to have female remains.

And the obvious care put into the burials of the others found at the site says something about Richard III’s burial.

“What stands out more is the contrast between the care and attention taken with these burials — large, neatly dug graves with coffins — and the crudeness of Richard III’s grave,” Morris said. “The more we examine it, the clearer it becomes how atypical Richard III’s burial really was.”

When Richard’s grave was discovered, he was found in a grave that was simply too small for his body. His torso was left in an “odd position” that left his head partially propped up against the grave side. In an academic paper published a few months after the discovery, British archaeologists described the slain king as having been buried “with minimal reverence.”

A burial more fitting for a king is in the offing, however. Richard III will be reinterred at Leicester Cathedral later this month, after his remains are released by the University of Leicester.

Tom Brokaw, the NBC newsman and author of “The Greatest Generation,” is writing a new book about his personal struggle with cancer.

Brokaw, who just recently announced that his cancer is in remission, will be releasing his memoir, “A Lucky Life Interrupted,” on May 12, according to Random House.

Random House describes it as a “moving personal memoir of the year he spent battling multiple myeloma, a bone marrow cancer, with reflections on the medical quest, the life lessons learned and news events he covered for NBC.”

The publishing house has hard covers available for pre-order for $27.

Brokaw has proven that he can sell books. “The Greatest Generation” is a major bestseller. The book tells the stories of individual American veterans of World War II and it came out in 1999. It was able to capitalize on a rise in American interest in World War II, thanks in part to the Steven Spielberg movie “Saving Private Ryan” from the year before.

He has also written “The Greatest Generation Speaks” and “Boom! Talking About the Sixties,” as well as “The Time of Our Lives: A Conversation about America” and “A Long Way From Home.”

Brokaw started with NBC in 1966 and was the managing editor and sole anchor of “NBC Nightly News” for more than 20 years. He famously reported from the Brandenburg Gate when the Berlin Wall came down in 1989.

His successor at the anchor desk for “Nightly,” Brian Williams, is embroiled in controversy and was suspended for six months by the network.

]]>http://whotv.com/2015/03/03/tom-brokaw-to-release-book-on-battling-cancer/feed/1brokawmariclkTom BrokawThen There Were 12: Nebraska Ordered to End Same-Sex Marriage Banhttp://whotv.com/2015/03/03/then-there-were-12-nebraska-ordered-to-end-same-sex-marriage-ban/
http://whotv.com/2015/03/03/then-there-were-12-nebraska-ordered-to-end-same-sex-marriage-ban/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 12:39:46 +0000http://whotv.com/?p=235372]]>What a difference a couple of years makes.

A federal judge has struck down Nebraska’s ban on same-sex marriage, calling it an “unabashedly gender-specific infringement of the equal rights of its citizens.”

U.S. District Judge Joseph Bataillon’s decision Monday means that same-sex marriage is now against the law in fewer than one in four states.

Nebraska state officials immediately appealed the ruling to the 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.

Bataillon denied a state request to stay his decision. And so, beginning Monday the state must “treat same-sex couples the same as different sex couples” when it comes to marriage rights, the federal injunction reads.

As the dominoes fall in favor of same-sex marriages, the question now seems to be which state will be the last?

The number of states offering same-sex marriages has surged since the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in 2013 that invalidated part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

States like Illinois, Hawaii, Minnesota and New York joined the fold voluntarily, while others — most recently Nebraska and Alabama — were ordered by state or federal judges to offer and recognize the unions.

The case involving Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee is expected to be decided sometime in June by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Here’s the situation in the 12 states that currently ban same-sex marriages:

Arkansas

The state’s constitutional ban on gay marriage, passed in 2004, was struck down twice last year — once by a state court judge and again by a U.S. District Court judge. Local officials issued some 400 marriage licenses following the state court decision, but the state Supreme Court blocked the issuance of more licenses pending its review of the case. A decision could come soon.

Georgia

Georgia is one of just two states with no legislative action or pending legal decisions whatsoever on same-sex marriage. The other is North Dakota. However, lawsuits are pending to overturn the state’s 2004 ban.

Louisiana

The state’s ban is being challenged in state court, where a judge last year ruled the law is unconstitutional, and in federal court, where a U.S. District Court judge took the rare step, for a federal judge, of backing such a ban. The ban remains in place pending Louisiana’s appeal of the state court ruling. On the federal level, a ruling is pending out of the U.S Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which heard arguments in the case in January.

Kentucky

Last year, a U.S. District Court judge ruled that the state’s constitutional amendment banning gay marriages had no “legitimate purpose.” The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit later overturned the ruling, reinstating gay marriage bans in Kentucky and four other states. The Kentucky ban is part of the U.S. Supreme Court case scheduled for arguments in April and a decision by June.

Michigan

A U.S. District Court judge ruled last year that the state’s same-sex marriage ban was unconstitutional, resulting in the issuance of more than 300 marriage licenses. That ended when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit granted a stay. The court later reinstated Michigan’s ban in the same ruling that reinstated Kentucky’s ban. Its fate will be decided by the Supreme Court decision due by June.

Missouri

A state court judge ruled in November that Missouri’s 2004 constitutional ban on gay marriage was illegal. Attorney General Chris Koster appealed the ruling to the state Supreme Court. But that court has indicated that it will not rule on the case until after the U.S. Supreme Court decision. Just a few days after that state court ruling, a U.S. District Court judge struck down the state’s marriage ban, but that decision has been stayed pending appeals. While the state ban is in effect, officials in the St. Louis area have issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Mississippi

A U.S. District Court judge granted an injunction last year against the state’s same-sex marriage ban, describing it as unconstitutional. The judge, however, postponed his ruling from going into effect to give the state time to appeal. A federal appeals court heard arguments in the case in January. In the meantime, the same-sex marriage ban is still in effect.

North Dakota

Same-sex couples are challenging the state’s ban in U.S. District Court, but a federal judge issued a ruling on January 20 delaying the proceedings until after the U.S. Supreme Court rules.

South Dakota

U.S. District Court Judge Karen Schreier struck down the state’s same-sex marriage ban in January, but blocked enforcement pending an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

Texas

The state’s ban was struck down in January 2014 by a federal judge who said it serves “no legitimate governmental purpose.” But, as in many other states, enforcement was delayed pending appeals. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit heard the case last month and a ruling is pending.

Ohio

A federal appeals court judge upheld a ban last year on same-sex marriages in the state. That decision is part of the U.S. Supreme Court case expected to be finalized this summer.

Tennessee

In November 2014, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upheld the state’s ban. That decision also will be part of the U.S. Supreme Court case.

“Her due date was actually today. She was supposed to be induced today. So she told us she was eight months and a couple of days pregnant,” the couple said. “About an hour after we left we started getting text messages saying ‘I don’t know if I can do this.’”

The couple initially connected with Bess through an adoption agency. They say Bess told them she chose them as the adoptive parents.

They got a nursery ready but recently found out it was a lie.

Investigators say Bess used information from a prior pregnancy to con them into offering financial support.

Adoption Associates of Iowa says scammers prey on parents who are eager to adopt. They recommend hiring an attorney and an adoption professional.

“If you go through the right steps you`re going to put someone between you and the birth mom you`re not going to hand any money over, you`re going to be working with a professional so if you really stick with the person you`ve hired to help you do this, you won`t get scammed,” says Bill Pearce, Director of Adoption Associates.

Ankeny police arrested Bess on Friday. They say she accepted $200 from the DeWitt couple. She is charged with 4th degree theft.

Police say Bess did the same thing in 2011, using 19 different aliases in several states. She was also investigated in 2014 but no charges were filed at the time.

That’s according to State Climatologist Harry Hillaker, who says it’s been a stark contrast to last winter, which was punctuated by frequent snowfall.

Hillaker says one major difference is that the current winter began with a significant amount of soil moisture – a very different story from the dry beginnings of last winter. The soil moisture means freezing will be less of an issue this year than last, because wet soil is harder to freeze.

Hillaker adds it may cause some issues once planting time rolls around, “Central, west central, south central and southwest corner of the state was extremely wet from August to September, first of October. And therefore, soils coming into the winter, would be generally that same situation now, it’s about as wet as it ever [has been] at this time in the year. And it may not seem that way because everything’s frozen. But it wouldn’t take a whole lot of rain to cause some planting delays in that part of the state. Roughly the southwest third or so but actually includes a pretty big chunk of central Iowa as well.”

Hillaker adds that February 2015 was the 9th coldest on record, though still not as cold as February 2014.

DES MOINES, Iowa — This week the Girls State Basketball Tournament is expected to bring in an estimated 60,000 people to the downtown area, bringing an economic impact of a million dollars to the city.

This is the second of three state tournaments that come to Des Moines every year. In addition to hotels and restaurants, dress shops also get a lot of extra business during these three weeks as many out of town teens take this time to shop for the perfect prom dress.

Local dress shops say these three weeks account for roughly 25-50 percent of their prom dress sales. But this week presents a unique challenge. Many of the teams competing this year are local teams, meaning dress stores won’t see as many out of town shoppers taking advantage of their time in Des Moines.

Matthew Mosley with Skeffington’s Savvi Formal Wear says most local teens wait later in the shopping season to get their dress.

“We sometimes get dresses in closer to prom just because they’re on backorder or it’s such a popular dress that we have to get it in again so girls know to kind of feel it out for a month or so before prom and then make that final decision,” said Mosley.

Hoping to get more teens to buy early local shops are offering discounts during the next two weeks of tournaments. Steffington’s will take $50 off any tux and $50 off any dress costing $200 or more. Stacey’s is also offering $50 off any dress.

]]>http://whotv.com/2015/03/03/businesses-affected-by-local-teams-in-tournament/feed/3Girls Tour pic widwhojohnscNiang: ‘Hilton Magic Just Took Over’http://whotv.com/2015/03/02/niang-hilton-magic-just-took-over/
http://whotv.com/2015/03/02/niang-hilton-magic-just-took-over/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 05:32:35 +0000http://whotv.com/?p=235341]]>AMES, Iowa – Iowa State looked down, out, and uninterested in the first half of their game against Oklahoma Tuesday night. A sure sign of a Kansas State hangover.

Then in the second half, something clicked. The Cyclones use a 22 point run to erase a 21 point deficit, ending a 2 game skid.

After the game, Coach Hoiberg and George Niang explained how it happened:

]]>http://whotv.com/2015/03/02/niang-hilton-magic-just-took-over/feed/1IMG_0453whoadmiremBusy Day at the Well. Girls State Basketball Off and Runninghttp://whotv.com/2015/03/02/bust-day-at-the-well-girls-state-basketball-off-and-running/
http://whotv.com/2015/03/02/bust-day-at-the-well-girls-state-basketball-off-and-running/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 04:38:44 +0000http://whotv.com/?p=235337]]>DES MOINES – The girls state basketball tournament is underway at Wells Fargo Arena. Here are scores from day 1.

In Class 1A:

Newell Fonda 70
Colo-Nesco 42

Burlington Notre Dame 78
Central Lyon 60

Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton 63
Bedford 48

Springville 53
Fremont Mills 50

Class 2A

Unity Christian 53
Cascade 34

South Central Calhoun 65
IKM-Manning 50

North Linn 57
Des Moines Christian 46

State tournament resumes bright and early Tuesday morning at the Well.

]]>http://whotv.com/2015/03/02/bust-day-at-the-well-girls-state-basketball-off-and-running/feed/0whostaffwriterThey Did What?!?! Cyclones Erase 21 Point Deficit, Stun Oklahomahttp://whotv.com/2015/03/02/they-did-what-cyclones-erase-21-point-deficit-stun-oklahoma/
http://whotv.com/2015/03/02/they-did-what-cyclones-erase-21-point-deficit-stun-oklahoma/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 04:14:32 +0000http://whotv.com/?p=235330]]>AMES – After playing the worst half of basketball in the Fred Hoiberg era , 17th ranked Iowa State responded in a big way in the 2nd half.

The Cyclones trailed by as many as 21 in the 2nd half, but outscored the Sooners 59-33 after halftime en-route to a 77-70 win.

Season saver? Maybe. Incredible comeback? Without a doubt.

ISU trailed 37-18 at the half, and was in danger of losing their 3rd straight game.

Georges Niang led the way with 23 points, Monte Morris added 19, Jameel McKay scored 14. Dustin Hogue scored 7 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in his final game at Hilton Coliseum.

Iowa State improves to 21-8 overall, 11-6 in the Big 12 and is now tied for 2nd in the Big 12 with Oklahoma.

“She didn’t deserve to be in that house like that.” Urich said, remembering her best friend. “I tried to get her out. I tried so hard to get her out.”

A couple of weeks ago, Urich’s Fort Dodge home caught fire. Her best friend, Amy Devlin, Amy’s infant son Bryce Devlin and Urich’s five-year-old nephew Joseph Kennedy were all killed in the fire.

That afternoon, everyone was asleep upstairs when little Joseph came up and said the house was on fire. Urich grabbed her baby son Matthew and his older brother and ran. “He woke me up. He’s the one that told me what was going on and he was really calm about it,” Urich recalld. “He was behind me . . . I had grabbed Matthew, my smallest one, and I said ‘boys stay behind me so that way we can get out the back door.'”

On the way, Urich stopped to wake up her friend Amy. “Her and her son were in their bedroom sleeping and I woke them up and I said ‘Amy hurry up we gotta go. there’s a fire.’ She sat up and looked at me and she was supposed to be right behind me.”

But she wasn’t.

“I got to the bottom of the stairs and I collapsed. I fell. Because I got hit with flames and smoke. Me and Matthew fell.” Urich said.

By the time Urich crawled out, she realized Amy, Bryce and Joseph had not made it out of the burning house. “All I could do is keep yelling for Amy because I could hear her breaking the glass, trying to get out. And they kept asking me if there’s anybody there and I said ‘yeah there’s somebody in there’. I said ‘somebody please go and get them’. They couldn’t get to her.”

Urich has burns over 13-percent of her body. She has undergone painful skin grafts. But that pain doesn’t compare to the pain she feels in her heart over losing the two children and her best friend. “Amy would . . . Amy was awesome. She made people laugh. Me and her were two peas in a pod,” Urich said, fighting back tears. “We did everything together. I used to do her hair. I was there for the birth of her child. It’s killing me because I miss her. It doesn’t feel like it’s real. It doesn’t . . . Because I think I’m gonna call her phone or something and she’s gonna answer the phone but she’s not.”

Urich lost everything in the fire. “We don’t even understand why it went so quickly. We lost everything. All of our photos. Our clothes. Everything. We have nothing now.”

It would be easy to give up right now. But Urich says she can’t. It’s not what her friend would have wanted. “Amy would probably tell me that I need to get off my butt and stop being like this and start moving on. And I want her mom to know that I loved Amy. That was my best friend and I don’t want them to feel that I don’t think about her because I think about her every day.”

“Watch your own emotions because this is something that you want really badly to be true and it`s like any other scam if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is.”

Pearce suggests doing your research, hiring an attorney, an adoption professional and following your instincts.

“If you go through the right steps you`re going to put someone between you and the birth mom, you`re not going to hand any money over an you`re going to be working with a professional. So if you really stick with the person you`ve hired to help you do this, you won`t get scammed,” says Pearce.

Bess-Thacker is charged with 4th degree theft.

Ankeny Police are encouraging anyone who’s been contacted by Bess-Thacker for a similar scam to contact Detective Dan Vallejo at 515-289-5240.

She’s also used the name Tracy Leann Bess.

For a complete list of adoption agencies available in the state, click here.

]]>http://whotv.com/2015/03/02/ankeny-woman-arrested-for-adoption-scam/feed/1bess_tracywhomooresPolice Still Looking for Details in South Side Shootinghttp://whotv.com/2015/03/02/police-still-looking-for-details-in-south-side-shooting/
http://whotv.com/2015/03/02/police-still-looking-for-details-in-south-side-shooting/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 23:25:15 +0000http://whotv.com/?p=235304]]>DES MOINES, Iowa — Police are still trying to figure out what caused a fatal shooting Sunday night on the south side of Des Moines.

Just after 5:00 p.m., Des Moines Police responded to a shooting. Upon arrival they found 35-year-old Mark Hruska shot in his home. Hruska was pronounced dead at the scene.

“We were sitting here I heard a bang. I came out because it sounded like it came from right outside my house,” said Tim ​Edwards, neighbor. “It sounded like someone hit my house.”

“The suspect went over to the victim’s house. They get into an argument and words are exchanged. The suspect shoots at the victim, strikes him not sure how many times exactly,” said Sergeant Jason Halifax, Des Moines Police Department.

Police got a call from Patrick Kirwan’s girlfriend stating that he was at his home and had shot Hruska.

When the police arrived they noticed blood at the home’s entryway and Hruska was located on the floor. Police found Kirwan at his home, which is next door to Hruska’s, and arrested him. During questioning Kirwan confessed to shooting Hruska.

Kirwan gave multiple reasons for the incident to police, like drugs and a domestic situation involving Hruska and Kirwan’s girlfriend.

“The claims (Kirwan) was making about why this happened are not substantiated with the evidence that we got,” said Sergeant Halifax.

According to police it may be hard for them to trace exactly what happened because of the mental state of Kirwan.

“The suspect likely has some mental issues at play,” said Sergeant Halifax.

The incident Sunday night left neighbors confused and worried about how this could happen in their neighborhood.

“I’ve lived here about eight or nine years and it’s a pretty quiet neighborhood,” said Debra Hill.

“It makes you weary. Like do you really want to live here,” said Edwards, who moved into the neighborhood just a month ago.

Neighbors, Hill and Pat Northway could not believe this happened because the two were friends.

“They were both friends we were just over there last summer talking to both of them,” said Hill.

Police say they have few answers for the community, so for now Hill hopes it’s an isolated incident.

“It had to be something quick, something must have sparked them,” said Hill.

DMPD hopes to have more answers in the coming days as they conduct interviews. The autopsy is expected to be finished by Tuesday.

BOONE, Iowa-Community leaders in Boone are working to put together the county’s first-ever Freedom Flight. A group of 20 people have been meeting to map out a plan to take a plane load of Boone County Veterans from WWII, Korean Conflict, and Viet Nam to Washington D.C. They want to take them to see their memorials while they can still travel.

Don Batt said the group is not connected to any veteran’s group or government agency.
“We’re going to be visiting nursing homes to see who we can get to volunteer to go on this flight,” said Batt.

Batt said making such a trip is not cheap, an estimated $95,000 dollars. The plane alone cost $77,000, over $9,000 for buses in Iowa and D.C. For food there will be a $3,000 expense, and they need $12,000 for clothing so the Vets can easily be identified while on the trip.

“We’ve had an unbelievable response from our veterans and local public,” said Batt. “We’ve got about 15 sponsors now that are keeping in touch with us.”

Planners hope to have the flight funded and ready to take off next October, however that could be delayed if funds are not raised.

People wanting to donate or get more information can call Don Batt at 515-298-0375. Checks can be sent to:Boone County Veterans Freedom Blight
P.O. Box 311
Boone, Iowa 50036

DES MOINES, Iowa — A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect until 11:00 a.m. for parts of Central Iowa, including the city of Des Moines. Light freezing rain is falling and creating some slippery spots.

Light rain/sleet/snow will fall mainly early this morning.

A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect until 9:00 p.m. along the Iowa/Minnesota border. Light snow will fall Tuesday morning with less than an inch possible. The winds will be gusting 30 miles per hour, leading to reduced visibility.

The center of the storm will be right over central Iowa, drying out the storm as it moves over the state. It will mean more ice for southeastern Iowa and more snow and blowing snow for northern Iowa and much of Minnesota.

After the storm moves east Tuesday afternoon it will drag much colder temperatures over the state and it will be very windy. Wind chills will drop to -10 by Wednesday morning.

Expect a slow warming trend Thursday but much warmer temperatures for the weekend and next week.

]]>http://whotv.com/2015/03/02/storm-to-move-across-midwest-tuesday/feed/0Alerts Earth Highlight KeyframedwhoritterjAlerts Earth Highlight KeyframedJury Selected in Casey Frederiksen Murder Trialhttp://whotv.com/2015/03/02/jury-selection-underway-in-casey-frederiksen-murder-trial/
http://whotv.com/2015/03/02/jury-selection-underway-in-casey-frederiksen-murder-trial/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 20:18:38 +0000http://whotv.com/?p=235290]]>WEBSTER CITY, Iowa – It took a full day to seat a 12-person jury, plus two alternates, to hear the murder case of a 5-year-old girl. The panel for the Casey Frederiksen trial was selected from the 105 people who reported for jury duty in Webster City Monday.

Frederiksen, 35, is charged with the 2005 sexual abuse and murder Evelyn Miller. The case was moved from Floyd County due to pre-trial publicity.

Prosecutors say Frederiksen killed the little girl to cover up the fact that he sexually abused her. Miller was in Frederiksen’s care the morning of July 1, 2005, when she was reported missing. Her body was found five days later.

During jury selection, attorneys prepared the jurors for the sensitive testimony that they are about to hear. The prosecution and defense plan to call a long list of investigators and members of Miller’s family, including her mother who was engaged to Frederiksen at the time of her death.

Opening statements are expected Tuesday. The trial is expected to last two weeks.

]]>http://whotv.com/2015/03/02/jury-selection-underway-in-casey-frederiksen-murder-trial/feed/1frederiksen_caseywhotownejStudy Finds Using Facebook Can Lead to Envy, Serious Depressionhttp://whotv.com/2015/03/02/study-finds-using-facebok-can-lead-to-envy-serious-depression/
http://whotv.com/2015/03/02/study-finds-using-facebok-can-lead-to-envy-serious-depression/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 19:30:44 +0000http://whotv.com/?p=235288]]>COLUMBIA, Missouri – Constantly checking Facebook to see what your friends are doing could lead to some serious depression, KTLA reports.

A recent study conducted by researchers at Nanyang Technological University, Bradley University and the University of Missouri Columbia found that heavy Facebook users can experience envy — which can ultimately lead to extreme sadness.

The researchers surveyed 736 college students and found that, basically, if you quietly stalk your friends on Facebook and then realize that your life doesn’t measure up to theirs, you feel bad about yourself.

“If Facebook is used to see how well an acquaintance is doing financially or how happy an old friend is in his relationship — things that cause envy among users — use of the site can lead to feelings of depression,” said Margaret Duffy, a professor at the University of Missouri School of Journalism.